Updated: Oct 2
By Barbara A. Preston | October 1, 2025
For thousands of students, Zoran Milich has been a teacher, coach, mentor, and friend.
Coach Milich founded the Montgomery High School football program and served as head coach for a quarter of a century.
Zoran Milich founded the football program at Montgomery High School and led it for 25 years. (Photo by Sara Moss-Kendall.)
He stepped down as coach last year, but continues to teach at the school.
MHS Principal Heather Pino-Beattie described coaching for 25 years as “something almost unheard of in the world of athletics.”
Coach Zoran Milich in action.
“It takes an extraordinary level of loyalty, grit, and love not just to coach a sport, but to build a football family year after year after year. And Zoran did it with heart, with humility, and with unshakable dedication.”
The sign over the entrance to Montgomery High School’s football field will read “Welcome to Cougar Stadium: Zoran Milich Field.”
Zoran Milich, sixth from the left, with some of his original staff, and school officials including Principal Heather Pino-Beattie (far right) and Athletic Director Kris Grundy, next to last on right.
Another sign proclaiming “Milich Field” will be placed on a sign atop the scoreboard, centered around the Montgomery “M” logo.
On October 3, MHS officials will unveil the new face to the Cougar Stadium scoreboard at its homecoming game—at halftime as the Cougars take on Linden, according to MHS Athletic Director Kris Grundy.
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The signs will remind every student, athlete, and coach who steps onto to Cougar Stadium turf that they are walking in the legacy of a man who gave everything to this community.
Milich stepped down from the program last year, in the off-season, and his offensive coordinator, Sean Carty, was chosen as his successor.
During his time as coach, Zoran Milich won more than 100 games during 23 varsity seasons. He also started the program from scratch and mentored and coached thousands of student-athletes on and off the field.
